Knowing how to suture a wound, on yourself or someone else, is an invaluable skill in a survival situation, particularly if the situation you faced started with any type of violent action or if medical help is far away or non-existent. Nature is, in many ways, out to get us and that reality is exacerbated…

One very rare risk anyone who lives in certain areas of the country or anyone spending any amount of time in the outdoors runs is being bitten by a snake. If you live in the deep south, for example, given there are more venomous snakes in that area of North America than almost anywhere else,…

If you do a little research you will find there are a lot of remedies, cures and pain relievers that can be found in nature. More and more we hear about plants like Tansy and the California Poppy that go a long way in soothing any number of medical complaints. If you were to get…

Whether you have a phobia of snakes like Indian Jones or you don’t find them scary at all, venomous snakes usually will bite you before you have time to consider your options. Most people get bit by a snake when they’re not paying attention. They’re hiking along without looking on that sunny rock when all of…

Cost-effective antiseptics are few and far between. Some are so outlandishly expensive that they are hardly worth the cost, unless of course you are dying of a debilitating bacterial infection, in which case they probably won’t do you much good anyways. Most antiseptics are applied to prevent infection, not cure it, so, in general, you’d…

If you’re going for a stroll in a dark corner, if may be a good idea to be aware of your surroundings. A creepy little creature with eight legs might be lurking nearby, mistake you for a threat, and bite you. Tegenaria agrestis, or hobo spiders, are not commonly aggressive unless provoked, despite their title…

Prior to big name pharmaceutical brands and doctors prescribing pills for every ailment under the sun (many of which have side-effects that far outweigh the benefits–if one of the side effects is “death,” maybe you should take that pill back to the drawing board…but I digress), most people relied on the almost miraculous healing effects…

Whether you’re living in an Indiana-Jones-like-fear of these creatures, or you don’t find them threatening at all, venomous snakes will bite you before you have time to really consider your options. Many people are bitten by snakes when they’re simply not paying attention. They forget to check their surroundings before they move, and end up…

Bugging out has a whole host of problems, from the lack of resources to the loss of everyday comforts. One of the comforts that many people don’t often think about will be the lack of dental offices and educated dentists performing their trade in a SHTF world. It may not sound like that big of…

Oral health is an often fickle thing, and when tooth pain is bad, it can be really bad. It can distract you from necessary work, make you lash out at those you love and is in general just a monumental pain in the ass. When considering what to do to alleviate this tooth pain, the…

Among many preppers, there is a lot of talk of using “improvised” methods for everything including building weapons, starting fires and attaining clean drinking water. One of the most common areas for this improvisation is the area of practicing first aid. While it may sometimes be necessary to put into practice improvised methods to attempt…

Few things can dampen an experience in the wilderness faster than poison ivy, oak or sumac. The waxy oils that coat the leaves of these plants can lead to painful rashes that will itch like you wouldn’t believe (until you’ve experienced it) for several days or even weeks afterward. For a huge number of people,…

During the Cold War, there was so much fear of a nuclear strike that students in elementary schools would have drills in which they had to climb under their desks to shield themselves from the collapsing building in the event of an explosion. While they would still likely die in a matter of seconds from…

Spiders are feared by many people in the world. This could be because spiders have a creepy way of walking, how they precisely build their spider webs or because they have so many eyes. When you ask a prepper or anyone for that matter, he’ll probably tell you he’s not fond of spiders because they…